New Friendships
by Eilwyn
Summary: A few weeks after their coronation, the Pevensies begin to meet their human neighbors from Archenland. Chapter 2 and 3 are up.
1. Chapter 1

Note: Characters from the **Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe** and the **Horse and His Boy** appear in this story. A few minor characters and other things are borrowed from the movie. Some other minor characters are made up.

The books belong to C.S. Lewis and the movie to Walden.

Three weeks after the coronation

The brothers Lord Dar and Lord Darrin were riding to Cair Paravel, escorted by the talking eagle Eol. Dar and Darrin were among the most trusted companions of King Lune of Archenland. They had been given sensitive missions before but none more unusual than this one: to make contact with these mysterious new kings and queens, and if these truly were the good kings and queens foretold by the ancient prophecy, than lay the groundwork for an alliance between the two neighboring countries. Eol had flown ahead and was waiting at the top of the hill.

As Dar and Darrin galloped up the hill, they heard the sound of yelling. When they reached the top of the hill, they saw a conflict about to enfold. On the western side of the valley below was a motley group of creatures including ogres, cyclops, minoboars and almost two dozen goblins. The creatures were yelling as they prepared for battle.

Lord Dar asked "Are these some of the remains of the White Witch's army?"

"Aye. Most were slaughtered at the Battle of Beruna but some escaped" replied Eol. "Look, the High King rides to meet them."

The Archenlander lords looked towards the east and saw an organized formation galloping towards the evil creatures. At the front of the formation was a human wearing a red tunic and armor. To their astonishment, the king was riding a unicorn bareback. On either side of the king was a centaur. Two rows of five centaurs galloped behind him. Three panthers and two leopards ran along the sides while several gryphons flew overhead.

Eol cried out "I will go offer my assistance. This should not take long."

Dar and Darrin watched the eagle grasp a large stone in his claws and fly towards the evil creatures. There was a loud clash as the two sides met in battle. Although the evil creatures had more than twice the size army than the High King, it was clear that the king had the advantage of better trained and more organized soldiers.

Lord Darrin watched the king fighting on his unicorn and commented "I would never have believed a warrior could fight so well while riding bareback. If I didn't have my feet firmly in my stirrups, I would be on the ground the moment I swung my sword."

Lord Dar lowered his own visor and replied "Let's see how he fights from a closer view. Perhaps we can best establish our new alliance by helping to slew a few of these evil ones."

The two knights galloped down the hill. They saw a few of the goblins running from the battle and easily rode them down and killed them. Then they turned and rode back to the main battle area. It appeared all the evil creatures were dead. The Archenlanders approached the High King. Eol the Eagle flew over and landed near the unicorn.

"Your Majesty, may I introduce Lord Dar and Lord Darrin from Archenland. They come on behalf of King Lune" said Eol. "My lords, it is my honor to introduce King Peter the High King."

The High King reached up and opened the visor on his helmet. Both Dar and Darrin were startled by how young he appeared. He was only a teenager.

"Welcome to Narnia, my lords" said the young king in a clear, firm voice. "Your assistance was much appreciated."

Lord Dar smiled and said "I am not sure if you really needed our help, your Majesty but we were glad to assist."

A centaur approached and asked "Sire, the enemy are all dead. Should we build a bonfire to burn the foul carcasses as usual?"

"Yes" replied the king. "Lord Dar and Lord Darrin, this is General Orieus who is one of my most trusted advisors and teachers."

The centaur nodded his head in greeting and said "Welcome, my lords."

The young king then turned back to the centaur and asked "Do we have any serious injuries?"

"No, Sire. Reamon's arm is broken. Ravenstorm is setting it now. All the other injuries are minor scrapes" replied the centaur. He then turned and spoke to the unicorn "I am glad to see that you have no injuries this time Demetrius."

The unicorn laughed (a sound that was a curious mix of human and horse laughter) and replied "Aye. The last two battles did not end well for me. Since Queen Lucy is not here with her cordial, it is fortunate this one was easier."

The High King touched the top of the unicorn's head and said "I will always be grateful for your service Demetrius but perhaps one of the trade items we can discuss with these Archenlanders is horses so you can stop carrying me and being such as easy target. If I was not on your back, you could put that horn to much better use."

Peter then turned to Lord Dar and Lord Darrin and said "We will be ready to leave for Cair Paravel in about half an hour. Will you ride with us, my lords?"

The Archenlanders rode to Cair Paravel with the High King and his warriors. King Peter explained that they had been searching out the remains of the witch's army. Without leaders, the evil creatures had scattered and the group today was the largest so far.

As they rode to Cair Paravel, the Archenlanders were impressed by the beauty of the land. It was hard to believe that a few weeks ago, it had been frozen in the midst of the long winter. About four hours later, they saw the seashore. The great castle of Cair Paravel shone like a star on a peninsula. The brothers had heard stories about the great castle but were not prepared for the size and beauty of the castle.

The young king laughed and said "It certainly is very large. We all keep getting lost but it is starting to feel like home."

Lord Dar and Lord Darrin glanced at each other. They wanted to ask this fair-haired young king many questions about himself but this was not the proper time. They dismounted in the main courtyard. The centaurs and talking beasts scattered in different directions. Several of the centaurs took the reigns of the Archenlanders dumb horses and led them to the stables.

There were several steps leading into a main hall. A girl and boy stood on the top step. The girl appeared to be a year younger than the High King while the boy was several years younger. Both were dark haired although the girl had the same blue eyes as the High King. The girl was wearing a crown of gold flowers while the boy's head was bare. As they got closer, the Archenlanders noticed that the girl was very pretty and looked serious. The boy had a smile that was a bit mischievous but his eyes were solemn, almost a bit sad. Lord Dar would later say he had the immediate impression that these were two children who had grown up very quickly.

King Peter said "These are Lord Dar and Lord Darrin, the ambassadors from Archenland. This is my sister Queen Susan and my brother King Edmund."

Susan held out her hand to Lord Dar and said "Welcome to Cair Paravel, my lords."

Dar took her hand, which was held out for a handshake, and turned it so he could kiss the back of her hand.

"Your Majesty, it is our honor to be here and to meet you" said Lord Dar.

Queen Susan looked flustered for only a second and then held out her hand to Lord Darrin. This time she held her hand so it could be easily kissed.

King Edmund did not hold out his hand but rather nodded to the two lords and looked a bit uncertain. The moment was interrupted but the sound of laughter as a brown-haired young girl appeared on the steps and ran to King Peter. She threw her arms around his waist.

"Peter, oh Peter, I am so glad you are home. You aren't hurt at all, are you?" asked the girl.

"Lucy" said Queen Susan "We have guests, come meet them."

Peter laughed and said "My lords, in case you haven't guessed, this is my youngest sister Queen Lucy. Sister, this is Lord Dar and Lord Darrin from Archenland."

"Hello. Nice to meet you" said the young queen with a truly lovely smile. She looked to be around nine years old.

Susan turned to the Archenlanders and said "You must be tired after your long journey. Uilliam will show you to your rooms so you can rest and then you can join us and our court for dinner in an hour. Tomorrow we can meet about the purpose of your visit."

The young queen motioned to a faun who stepped forward and said "My lords, please follow me." The Archenlanders bowed to the sovereigns and followed the faun.


	2. Chapter 2

Note: Characters from the **Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe** and the **Horse and His Boy** appear in this story. A few minor characters and other things are borrowed from the movie. Some other minor characters are made up.

The books belong to C.S. Lewis and the movie to Walden.

Lord Dar of Archenland stood on a balcony gazing at the ocean below. He was a well traveled nobleman but he was still astonished by the beauty of Cair Paravel. He turned as he heard a knock on the door. Uilliam the faun stood there and cheerfully told him that breakfast was in the parlor for him and his brother. After breakfast, they would be escorted to their meeting with the kings and queens. Like all the Narnians that Dar had met, the faun spoke of the young kings and queens with awe and respect.

Dar proceeded into the parlor feeling a bit of relief that breakfast would be private. Dinner last night had been a bit chaotic. The hall had been beautiful and the food delicious but the Narnians did not have a lot of experience with formal banquets. Some of the talking birds kept flying around the hall throughout the meal. Several squirrels got into an argument over some nuts. A couple of dwarfs had been unhappy after being served dirt that was meant for dryads. Queen Susan left the table twice to solve problems in the kitchen. The young queen's gentle and sweet manner was also enough to quickly calm down the upset squirrels and dwarfs. She eventually managed to convince the birds to go outside if they want to fly around. Everyone wanted Queen Susan to be happy.

During breakfast, Dar and Darrin talked about their mission and their impressions of the Narnians. Last evening, they talked with the young kings and queens and learned some information about them. The siblings had been a bit vague about their first few days in Narnia and how King Edmund became a prisoner of the White Witch but the two kings were happy to tell the story of the Battle of Beruna. And Queen Lucy had been delighted to tell them about their coronation ceremony and how Aslan Himself crowned them. Queen Susan had confirmed that they had been summoned from another world – she was uncertain where the door was –somewhere near the Lantern Waste. She couldn't tell them much about that world.

"It feels like a dream, like a faint memory of a dream even though it was only a few weeks ago" said the lovely young queen.

As Dar and Darrin finished breakfast, a talking fox entered the parlor to escort them to the throne room. The fox politely told the two lords to take their time finishing breakfast and sat down on the floor. Darrin asked the fox when he had first met the young kings and queens.

The fox replied "Ah my good lords, I was one of the fortunate few to meet King Peter and his sisters while the beavers were helping them travel to meet Aslan. I was honored to help in a small way. They had only been in Narnia for less than a day and still did not fully understand the prophecy. Later, I was captured by the Witch's wolves. They brought me to the Witch. She had King Edmund captive and despite his own danger, he pleaded for me. The Witch, of course, was heartless and turned me to stone."

Lord Dar said "We had heard that Aslan was able to breathe on the stone statues and return them to living beings."

The fox replied "Yes, that is true. But I was in the woods hidden unlike the statues at the Witch's castle or the Battle of Burena. After Aslan breathed on me, I opened my eyes and saw King Edmund. He had remembered where I was and brought Aslan to free me. I know the kings and queens will be grateful to me and I will always be grateful to them especially to King Edmund."

The fox then led the two lords to the throne room. The room was magnificent with the large peacock windows, marble columns and high ceilings. The four white and gold thrones were at the front of the room. The four young sovereigns were seated and waiting for the ambassadors. Advisors including two beavers, several centaurs, a gryphon, and Mr Tumnus the faun were standing near the thrones. The Archenlanders bowed and the High King formally greeted them.

"As a sign of friendship, King Lune wished us to give you this gift which is an ancient book of Narnian history" said Lord Dar.

The book cover was colorfully illustrated with a picture of Aslan in a glade of trees. Her siblings glanced at the book and then looked at Susan to see her reaction. Queen Susan's eyes lit up as she looked at the large old book.

King Peter smiled and said "Please thank King Lune for his generous gift. Our sister Queen Susan will accept the gift on our behalf."

Lord Dar handed the ancient book to the young queen who gave him a dazzling smile.

Lord Darrin gave a short speech about the long history of friendship between Narnia and Archenland and how some Narnians had fled to Archenland at the coming of the White Witch. Archenlanders had helped smuggle food and medicine into Narnia during the long winter. King Lune was eager to re-establish formal ties between the two countries. The Archenland king and queen were eager to meet the royal siblings and regretted that the recent birth of their twins made travel difficult.

Peter replied that Narnians respected the history of this friendship and that it would be beneficial to re-establish it. Since their reign was only three weeks old, they did not want to rush into signing treaties but would welcome re-establishing trade.

Lord Darrin said "Other members of our court would also like to visit Narnia. Some are the grandchildren or greatchildren of human Narnians who fled the White Witch. They are eager to see the lands of their ancestors again. Some may want to return to live in Narnia."

Peter said that Narnia would welcome peaceful visitors. He noticed that Orieus looked worried.

Peter asked: "General Orieus, is there a concern?"

"Sire, there is a difference between visitors and humans who wish to re-settle in Narnia. These humans would have sword oaths of loyalty to King Lune. I would recommend that anyone who wishes to live in Narnia, would swear fealty to your Majesty and your royal siblings. Humans would also have to agree to live by our laws and respect the talking beasts and creatures native to Narnia. Sire, not all humans in this world are as good as the humans in this room right now" said the great centaur.

"You always have excellent advice, General Orieus" said Susan. "In the library, I found a scroll with ancient oaths, perhaps we can adapt one of those oaths for this purpose."

Later, Peter and Susan stood on a balcony looking at the ocean. Lucy and Edmund were playing in the waves. A few of the young merpeople had come to visit the young king and queen.

Susan asked: "What do you think Peter? It might be nice to have some humans around. I love the Narnians but it is strange being the only four humans in the whole county. I didn't realize that until Lord Dar and Lord Darrin arrived."

"It could be good. Lord Dar and Lord Darrin are experienced knights. I could learn a lot about fighting and horseback riding from them or other knights. Orieus is a great teacher but it would be different to learn from other humans" replied Peter.

"Do you think there could be problems? I mean we are just kids. The Narnians accept us as kings and queens but will adult humans listen to kids? What if they don't accept us?" asked Susan.

"I wondered that as well but I think that is what Orieus meant in the throne room. We have to be clear that they can only live here if they accept our authority. Remember, Su, we fulfilled the prophecy. Aslan chose us and crowned us" said Peter.


	3. Chapter 3

Several weeks after the initial visit from the Archenland lords, the four kings and queens sat on their thrones in the great hall of Cair Paravel. The sunshine poured through the great stained glass windows and the open doors leading to the balcony. The sounds and smells of the ocean entered through these doors. Music of the merpeople could be heard in the throne room. Centaurs stood in formal salute as they did on the coronation day. Advisors such as Tumnus, fox and the beavers stood near the thrones.

Lord Darrin entered the throne room accompanied by two dozen people including some children. Two satyrs in armor blew on horns as they entered. The visiting humans looked amazed by the beauty of the throne room and the mix of creatures.

The High King Peter greeted Lord Darrin and welcomed him back to Narnia. The Archenland lord introduced those in his party. The first people introduced were his younger sister Lady Daria and her husband Lord Percivan. The great-grandfather of Lord Percivan had been an advisor to last Narnian rulers and had been killed in battle when Jadis invaded Narnia. They and their children hoped to return to Narnia to live. Peridan was about the same age as Susan and Peter while twins Deidre and Donal were Lucy's age. Another knight had a seven year old daughter named Gwenyth. Lucy's eyes glowed at the sight of children her own age.

Susan smiled at her sister's joy thinking it would be a relief to not always have Lucy begging for her to play a game. Susan had a lot of work to do running the castle.

The ceremony in the throne room ended with those humans who definitely wanted to return to Narnia swearing homage to the royal siblings. The moment the ceremony ended, Lucy got up and walked over Gwenyth. She spoke to the girl for a few minutes and then took her hand and led her to the Deidre and Donal.

"Hello. Would you like to come outside to see the ocean with us? It is my favorite place" said the young queen.

Donal turned to his mother and asked "May we go?"

Lady Daria looked a bit concerned and asked "Is anyone going to go with you, dear, I mean your Majesty?" Lady Daria looked a bit flustered by the concept of a queen the same age as her youngest children.

Lucy smiled merrily and replied "Mr Tumnus will come with us. He always watches out for me."

As she led the way to the door and the steps down to the beach, Lucy thought for a moment that she missed her own mother. It was hard to remember her mother's face. As she stepped outside and saw the beautiful ocean with the merpeople leaping above the waves, Lucy forgot this sad thought about her mother and ran down the stairs. Tumnus followed quickly behind and sat at the bottom of the stairs. Walking on the beach was not a favorite past time of the faun.

Lady Daria walked to the door and watched the scene below. The young queen was still wearing her crown but had take off her long cloak. The four young children had started playing a game of tag and the young queen was laughing in delight. Lady Daria heard a step behind her and turned to see Queen Susan.

Susan said "My sister will be so happy to have some playmates. I am too old and boring for her most days." The lovely teenager had a somewhat wistful smile as she made this comment.

Lady Daria replied "Your majesty, you have a great deal of responsibility at a young age. Perhaps there are some ways myself and the other ladies can assist with your burdens. A castle is a very large responsibility. I was a lady in waiting to the Archenland queen so I have some experience with court life."

Susan smiled again and replied "Perhaps we can talk tomorrow. I would appreciate any advice and assistance you can offer me."

Daria smiled and said "It will be my honor, your Majesty."

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Several days later, it was a beautiful spring day and Susan suggested they go on a picnic. It would be a lovely way to show their new courtiers some of the nearby countryside and the young queen was eager to spend some time outside instead of working inside the castle. It seemed that she and Peter were working constantly – running a kingdom and a castle were hard work. Especially since Narnia had no functioning government or even laws. There was so much to do. Edmund helped but Lucy was too young to do much. Their Narnian advisors were helpful but most Narnians did not want to stay constantly at the castle – they were naturally drawn back to the woods, the glens, the mountains and the caves of Narnia. The new human arrivals were delighted to move into rooms in the large castle and were prepared to help with tasks. Susan was beginning to feel it would be very good to have other humans in Narnia.

The afternoon picnic had been wonderful. They found a wonderful open spot near a small pond surrounded by woods. The packed lunch had been a success. Some of the adult humans and several fauns were playing cards while other fauns were playing pipes. Lucy, Edmund and a few other children were playing a game of tag nearby. Peter was sitting near the pond talking with Percivan, Darrin and Peridan. Susan was sitting on blankets with several ladies including Lady Daria. They were weaving garlands of flowers. Susan was feeling very relaxed.

The calm was broken by the sound of children screaming. Susan looked up and screamed herself as she saw two dozen boggles chasing her younger siblings and the other children. Lucy was running holding the hands of Deidre and Gwyneth. Donal and two other children were right behind them. King Edmund lagged behind a bit and turned to face the boggles with a dagger in his hand.

Lady Daria turned and saw King Peter followed by Percival and Darrin running towards the ugly boggles with drawn swords. To Daria's horror, Peridan followed them although he only had a small dagger. The other male members of their party ran towards the boggles as well. Susan turned and ran back towards the horses. Lady Daria looked at her with some astonishment. It was frightening but she was surprised the queen was running away.

The children stopped running and turned to watch the fight. They were standing near the woods. Orieus and two other centaurs galloped by to join the fight. It appeared that the boggles were going to be quickly defeated and Lady Daria felt relief.

Suddenly there was an awful shrieking sound and two harpies appeared. One harpy grabbed Queen Lucy while the other grabbed Deidre. They flapped their wings to take flight. Daria started running towards the children. Peter turned from the boggles and also ran towards the children.

Daria heard a whizzing sound, followed by another and saw that both harpies had an arrow in their right eyes. Both harpies fell still holding the girls. Daria turned to see Queen Susan holding a bow with another arrow on the string. The young queen looked a bit pale but determined. Daria realized the young queen had gone back to the horses to get her bow and arrows not to flee.

Peter reached the harpies and turned the bodies over. Both girls were unharmed. Percival picked up Deidre while Peter picked up Lucy and carried them back to the blankets.

Daria turned to Queen Susan and knelt before the young queen. She kissed the teenager's hand and said "Thank you for saving my daughter's life. I swear by the Lion, I will be loyal to you for all of my days."

Peter put Lucy on the blanket and Susan rushed over to hug both of them. 

Peter grinned at her as he said "Great shooting Su"

After tending to minor injuries, the party returned to Cair Paravel.

Later that night, Peter noticed that Susan was very quiet during dinner. Following dinner, several fauns began to play their pipes and some members of the court began to dance. Peter got up and asked Susan to step outside with him. The siblings walked outside to the balcony facing the ocean.

"What is bothering you, Su?" asked Peter.

"I am just thinking about everything that happened. Will we ever be safe? We keep thinking these creatures have fled but this attack happened just a few miles from the castle" replied Susan.

"We are slowly defeating them but it is clear we have to be more cautious" replied Peter. "Today could have been a disaster. I was pretty nervous when I saw Edmund turn to face a bunch of boggles with only a dagger in his hand. You stayed calm and saved both Lucy and Deidre's lives."

Susan was silent for a moment.

After a moment, Peter said "Lady Daria was certainly grateful to you, Su. You demonstrated great courage as a queen should."

"I am not as brave as you. I was very afraid today. I did what I had to do to protect ones I love but I don't like killing even if they are evil creatures" replied Susan.

"No one likes killing or at least good people and creatures and beasts don't like killing. I suppose boggles and harpies might like killing. The Witch's followers are not capable of changing their ways and living in harmony with others. We have to destroy the Witch's followers. It is necessary for Narnia to be at peace" said Peter.

Susan smiled and said "You sound like a king protecting his country."

Peter chuckled and said "I guess that is a good thing. It has been less than two months, Su, but it feels like we have always been here. It is hard to remember the place we came from."

"It was strange, at first, to have Narnians bow and curtsy but I got used to it pretty quickly" said Susan. "But when human adults kiss my hand, bow and curtsy, treat us like royalty, it feels very strange. I mean we were normal kids back in London, we weren't royal or special. It feels sometimes like we are acting in a play."

"We weren't born royal but Aslan chose us" replied Peter. "And you have become a true queen. You have proved that many times in the past two months including today. Remember what Aslan said: Once a king or queen of Narnia, always a king or queen of Narnia."


End file.
